THE GUARDIAN: Muslim trio who attacked publisher's home days before release of The Jewel of Medina each get four and a half years in prison
Three Muslim men were jailed today for an arson attack on the home of the publisher of a novel about Aisha, the child bride of the prophet Muhammad.
The trio poured diesel on the front door of the house in Islington, north London, and set it on fire. The attack in September last year took place days before Martin Rynja's company, Gibson Square, was scheduled to publish The Jewel of Medina, by the American author Sherry Jones.
Ali Beheshti, 41, and Abrar Mirza, 23, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit arson, while 30-year-old Abbas Taj was convicted of the same offence at Croydon crown court in May. Today, Mrs Justice Rafferty, sitting at London's Royal Courts of Justice, sentenced each of them to four and a half years in jail.
Andrew Hall QC, representing Beheshti, said in mitigation that it was "an act of protest born of the publication of a book felt by him and other Muslims to be disrespectful, provocative and offensive".
The judge said: "If you chose to live in this country, you live by its rules. There is no such thing as a la carte citizenship and, in your case, there is no such thing as a la carte obedience to the law." >>> Peter Walker | Tuesday, July 07, 2009
